The population of Philippines in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 79,999,000, which placed it as number 14 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 4% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 37% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 101 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is 1.79%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 96,338,000. The population density in 2002 was 267 per sq km (691 per sq mi). The population is unevenly distributed, being most densely concentrated in Luzon and the Visayan Sea islands.
It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 59% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Manila, had a population of 10,546,000 in that year. Created in 1975, metropolitan Manila includes four cities—Manila proper, Quezon City, Caloocan City, and Pasay City—and 13 surrounding municipalities. Other major cities include Davao, Cebu, Zamboanga, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, and Iloilo. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was 3.1%.